Dian Ivanov - one of the two main witnesses against the mayor of Varna Blagomir Kotsev, announced that he gave his testimony under pressure. He announced this himself with a post on Facebook, quoted by Nova TV.
In a statement to the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office, Ivanov stated that his testimony under DP 220/24 is "false, as it was given under pressure by employees of the CPC - Sofia."
"Today I filed a statement with the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office, stating that my testimony under DP 220/24 is false, as it was given under pressure by employees of the CPC - Sofia. We'll see what happens to me," he wrote on the social network.
Dian Ivanov is a long-time family lawyer for the arrested mayor of Varna, Blagomir Kotsev. He left the post of deputy mayor in the municipal administration of our seaside capital in early May. At the time, he motivated his decision with health reasons.
A week ago, Ivanov gave testimony to the Criminal Procedure Code, in which he stated that at Kotsev's request he participated in the blackmail of businesswoman Plamenka Dimitrova. She reported that she was asked for money in order to win a public contract.
"From the moment I got acquainted with Dian Ivanov's testimony, I had no doubt that it was not true. There is a serious suspicion that pressure was exerted on him, since after the witness pointed him out as a participant, he was not brought in as a defendant. This is commonly done when - in exchange for indulgence - people are forced to tell untruths. This was stated by Kotsev's lawyer Ina Lulcheva for NOVA.